The European Union may soon lift the ban on Zambian registered airplanes from flying into European airspace following the successful resolution of significant safety concerns.
The development now means that the Zambian government can engage the EU over the possible removal of the EU ban.
Transport, Communications and Works Minister Christopher Yaluma made the revelations during a media briefing this afternoon.
“This is good news for us as a country. For the past three years, no Zambian planes have been flying to the European airspace but this is a crucial step towards lifting that ban,” Mr. Yaluma said.
In 2009, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) had conducted an audit on the Zambian civil aviation sector which revealed 98 findings including one significant safety concern.
The significant safety concern was a result of non-compliance to the five phase air operator certification process which ICAO had introduced to ensure that operators applying for air service permits complied with international safety requirements.
Mr. Yaluma said the development is a crucial step towards the removal of Zambia from the ICAO safety watch list and subsequently from the EU ban list.
He expressed optimism that the department of civil aviation will be able to maintain standards and recommended practices demanded by the Convention on Civil Aviation and the European Aviation Safety Agency.
“The Zambian department of Civil Aviation has been engaged with the International Civil Aviation Organisation, through mutually developed corrective action plans detailing how the findings and the significant safety concerns were being addressed step by step through correspondence and exchanging electronic data.”
He added, “Prior to the validation mission, both parties were satisfied that the issues leading to the significant safety concern and other safety related findings were adequately addressed.”
Hon. Minister with due respect, why can’t the same ICAO check the European planes flying our air spaces in Africa. Take for example how many BA aircrafts have had serious faults in our backyard? Emergency landing in Uganda, numerous delays due to technical faults. Emirates the same way. Now my question is why doesn’t DCA in Zambia make a formal complaint and ban all the aged planes from covering these long distances into Africa to continue polluting the air while they themselves have banned these planes? These are double standards that we should not tolerate as country. We will pay a very high price should we continue on this path. Europeans should be told that Africans are humans and they equally deserve the same treatment that they themselves demand on their people.
Do you honestly believe that developed countries don’t enforce international standards on their own aircraft? That’s the thing about standards – they apply to everyone!
Even if someone wanted to accept your racist argument that there are double standards and the airline industry doesn’t care about the safety of African passengers, then why do the airlines board their own nationals (and all other nationals) on the very same aircraft? Flying is inherently risky (but still safer than driving, or even crossing Kafue road on foot!) and no airline (….not even an African one?) would ever risk its reputation or the wrath of regulators for brazenly turning a blind eye as you would have us believe! Think about it.
Yes in the abstract what you have said makes sense. The reality is however that they keep sending faulty planes here. So whilst the standards quite rightly apply to everyone in law this is not the case in fact.
@What world do you live in!!! I do believe developed nations enforce air safety for their aircrafts but what suntwe is saying is somehow true. BA has just presented to many problems for the zambian govt to say something about it. I mean look at whats happening to the new boeing 787 dreamliner. Two minor faults and only one emergency landing and the plane has been grounded by the US govt. This has nothing to do with race and the evidence is just right in front of you to see.
ANOTHER 90 DAYS DREAM FROM MY FRIEND FROM A POOR FAMILY (PF), IF IT WAS NOT SATA RULING, OOOH SORRY, WE HEAR YOU HALLUCINATE SO MANY THINGS SO GO CHEAT YOUR CADRES BWANA MINISTER NOT US NOERMAL ZAMBIANS
Maybe you are not normal after all
Even the presidential jet is banned
The presidential jet is registered in South Africa. It’s on lease until paid for in full it’s not Zambian owned
Planes cannot have dual nationality according to International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) rules. Zambian registration is 9J written usually on the tail of the plane
I hope this was helpful
9J-ONE is the jets registration so it very Zambian
Malawi announced yesterday that it is selling it’s Presidential jet to save costs and help pay for development. What value does Zambia’s jet add to this nation?
The presidential jet is just for convenience and privacy nothing more
In Zambia the presidential jet is even available to the ‘first lady’ to go on joyrides or is joy flights.
I remember reading something about that Jet been bought and paid in full by the then Chiluba govt. I dont think its banned from the european air space. I mean that Jet costs around 25 million US dollars!
The Presidential Jet is registered in Zambia. With a number 9J-ONE.
Thank you very much for your correction guys
We wonder as to which national airline is Zambia flagging to fly into Europe. So far I would rather fly southward and connect from Oliver Tambo Airport, of fly to Kenya or Ethiopia and connect from Nairobi or Addis Ababa enroute to Europe. Let Mahtani revive his Zambian Express for which we are ready to shun in the spirit of tit-for-tat. This man has caused more damaging havoc to this country.
Only three countries in sub sahara have a respectable aviation sector- Ethiopia,Kenya and South Africa. Zambia and the rest of the african crowd are just pretenders and should remain banned till we get serious business-wise and in safety standards.
I wonder how well informed your opinion is. I for one would add RwandAir to your list…a relatively young airline which has brand new planes in it fleet and flies to not only regional destinations in East Africa but also to Southern (JHB) Africa and West (Lagos) and international destinations such as Dubai and Brussells. There level of service is at par or may be even superior to the three you mention
Oh yeah…. RwandAir. I remember them – they’re the airline that taxied a plane though the window of their own terminal building a few years ago.
By the way which airline does this article refer to? Lifting the ban depends on the aircraft in use by the registered airline. At the moment, we dont have an airline and we dont have aircrafts!!! This story is bullocks!!!
“White farmers” – What does that even mean??
the minister is just wasting our time. we don’t even have an airline. so no need to worry whether it is lifted or not.
YAYAYAYA day dreaming at breakfast
CANT WAIT FOR TODAY VERY EXCITED.
ZAMBIA BALANGE!
We can do without European airlines flying into Zambian airspace and Europeans are fully aware of this fact. Europeans need us more than ever in the sense that African economies are performing better than the traditional European ecnomies. Despite the fact that the EU is one still one the biggest markets on the globe, it’s influence is diminishing at a much faster rate than previously thought.
This is one of the bargaining chips we can use in our negotiations with Europeans in balancing their conducts in business dealings which have significant influence on all africans.
We can only succeed if we identify areas we can neutralise so as to benefit both stakeholders in a given transactions involving Africans and Europeans.
Hurry up! I can’t wait, man.
Our leaders are really letting us down.All this is due to greed and lack of planning.Can we please demand that we restore some pride into our nation
Ba Yaluma you talk like your boss. Multitudes of hollow words. European Union is not an institution to mock around as you mock Zambians with 90 days, districts, constitution making or even corruption on others and shield PF cadres. You will never fly a Zambian place into European air space with the calibre and incompetence of the current Zambian leadership. EU may simply ask you to comply to democratic norms or human rights code of conduct (though nothing to do with air freght business) ask Mugabe. Compliance regulations of lifting the ban go beyond those utterances you are making. The world is too complicated for PF govt. to fit with.
Muzungu, the trouble maker with insults.
Jean-Fidele Diramba (born June 15, 1952), is a former football referee from the African state of Gabon. He is known for having officiated the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Diramba officiated the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations Final in Algiers between Algeria and Nigeria.[1]
Jean-Fidele Diramba was the referee in a World Cup USA ‘1994 qualifying match between Morocco and Zambia. Morocco won the match 1-0. The officiating created a lot of controversy from the Zambian side due to a number of decisions. Being from Gabon, off whose coast the Zambian team perished, increased the tensions since the Gabonsese allegedly were impeding the progress of the investigation into the airplane crash. Protests were held in Lusaka the following day. FAZ (Football Association of Zambia) filed a…
Are those potholes I can see on that Livingstone airstrip tarmac?
Minister be realistic even if the ban is lifted which private airline in Zambia can afford to fly to Europe and also compete on price with the big international airlines….unless you are still have your archaic nostalgic idea of creating an airline.
Please just focus on important issues at home like front line services and don’t think of silly ways to waste tax!
The ban is lifted until such a time that we have planes to fly into Europe. That is when it will be re-introduced. As at now they are just trying to make the mini-star happy knowing there is no plane anyway.
point
Why should we allow double deeping happening to us when we can actually make stringent measures work in our favor.Seriousness is needed bagovernment naimwe.
Which airlines do we have that are capable of flying to europe? Minister is saying irrelevant things.
planes to europe futi…hmmm dream on or is mama masebo planning on using the planes to steal animals …like ‘tigers’and sell them in europe..napapata sana!kwena aba abantu ba la sabayila
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